Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-04-21
THE CAUSES OF RAIN.
WHAT THE PLOW DOES.
Cultivation Gradually Changes
the Climatic Conditions.
Culture Brings Water uD.
"capiiiary Action" Explained

Old settlers in Kansas need no expla-
nation of the change of climatic condl'
tons, but there are numerous people in
other states who desire to know some
thing of the climate and soil. Last sum.
mer Orange Judd, editor of the Prairie
Farmer, visited Western Kansas. In the
Prairie Farmer he gives his views on the
question Of rain, soil and climate. In
conversation with Judge Friedley. of CHM
AKRON, with whom Mr.. Judd had con-
versed while visiting that town, we were
informed that Mr.. Judd had stated that
Western Kansas would become the best
corn producing country in the world.
He explained to Judge Friedley the cap
Hilary action of the soil, and the inevita-
bic result that would follow cultivation.
We were informed of this conversation
soon after its occurrence, and have re-
ferred to it several times. A few weeks
ago, however, we desired to obtain Mr..
Judd views in writing on this great mat
ter. and one SO important, and according
" wrote to him. Mr.. Judd refers US to a
copy of the Prairie Farmer, Of July 3,
1886, which he sends to us, and from
which we make the following extracts
from his correspondence on Western
Kansas. Some statistical matter, not
bearing on the subject we desire to pre-.
sent. we omit. Mr.. Judd wrote that
A large proportion of the recent en-
tries in the Western section have been
made by people from the Central and
Eastern counties of the same State.
In response to many requests, We will
present some of the reasons why and
how increased moisture in the soil and
more frequent showers are produced by
cultivation Of the soil. Let US first
consider
HOW RAIN Is PRODUCED.
Uf the non-scienti6c reader will Pc
ruse carefully all that follows, we will
try to make it SO plain that he can un-
derstand Why increased rainfall moves
westward; or why the character Of the
showers change. )-The air acts upon
water some what as . sponge does. A
large sponge may appear almost dry,
yet ON COMPRISING It several spoonfuls
Of water can be squeezed out. The
water particles are 80 divided up and
scattered ell through and through, that
none of them are visible to the eye or
sensible to the touch of the hand. The
air at all times contains large amount
of water, 50 finely divided up, that none
OF it 10 visible or felt. The fine atoms
Of water are a million times smaller than
the smallest seed or grain of sand one
ever saw. Now on the brightest day,
with the atmosphere as clear as it ever
is, great quantity of water is distri-
buted all through the forty or fifty
miles above us; but the little floating
particles can not be seen.-Why, if on
. bright, clear day, right after one of
the longest and most powerful rain
storms, all the water still left in the
air above us were to come down at once,
it would food the earth's surface.
An Experiment: Go into cold room
say one in which the thermometer reg
listers IS deg. The air may feel damp.
Shut the room SO tightly that no fresh air
can come in. (The experiment would
be better If the walls of the room were
lined with metal or glass, but that is
not necessarily Heat the air with a
stove or hot air pipe. When it gets up
to As deg. it will begin to feel dry. As
the heating goes on it will become
dryer and dryer, and 50 hungry or eager
for moisture that it will pick it out Of
the furniture, and out of your lungs
when it 10 drawn into them in breathing;
it will be "dry and husky" This
warmed air will act upon the moist.
ure just as unslaked lime acts upon
water. A barrel of fresh burned lime
will take up and hide barrel of water,
and appear dryer than before. And so
warmed air acts; it conceals moisture,
and . great deal of 1t too. But when
you cool the warm air, the concealed
water will come out again and be Wis
ible. Cold we'll or ice water in tum-
bier cools the glass through to its out
aide, and that cools the air around it;
and this when thus cooled gives up some
Of the small invisible drops of water
that wers hidden, and they settle on
the outside of the glass in . mass thick
enough to be seen. Understand then
that cooling the air makes it give out
some of the moisture or water that was
hidden when the air was warmer.
Away up in the air there are moving
currents, often going in different d.
rections. You have seen two masses of
clouds flying in opposite ways at the
came time, showing that different por.
tons Of the atmosphere are moving in
different directions. Now suppose a
large mass of cold cir meets . smaller
mass Of warm air. It Is easy to zee
that - they mingle the warm air will